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Crystal
The crystal was a magical device of thick glass set into a small table originally used by palace spies, mainly Ols, to communicate with the Shadow Lord. It had been kept in a sealed room on the third floor of the palace for hundreds of years. The crystal was covered by a black cloth and the walls and floor of the room were smooth, white and gleaming. The crystal was clear coloured, and fixed into the centre of a glass table with a wooden frame. When activated, grey and crimson smoke would circle the rim. After the defeat of the Shadow Lord, Lief tried to seal it away and eventually destroyed it with the help of the Belt of Deltora and Adin's forge. History The Shadow Lord had the crystal placed inside the Palace sometime before the rule of King Lucan. It used the crystal frequently to communicate with its servants in Deltora, remain up to date on events in the country, and the progress of its many plans. The first piece of Doran's map was hidden inside the table frame, so that it might be found by a future monarch of Deltora and set in motion the release of the grey tide. ''Return to Del'' Lief saw the crystal when he used water from the Dreaming Spring to spy on Fallow's meeting with the Shadow Lord. Even through the crystal, the Shadow Lord was able to sense that Lief's conscience was in the room. ''Cavern of The Fear'' Lief tried to destroy the crystal after becoming King, but every time he was met with failure. He had the room with the crystal sealed off from public access with brick and mortar. Later, Jasmine found herself drawn to the crystal when she had heard about Lief's Toran bride. The mortar easily fell away when she chipped at it, exposing the room. Looking into the crystal, Jasmine saw a young girl who identified herself as Faith—her younger sister, trapped in the Shadowlands. This prompts Jasmine to travel there and rescue her. However, Faith was never a real person, but an illusion made by the Shadow Lord. It knew that, should Jasmine travel to the Shadowlands, Lief would follow. ''Dragon's Nest'' The Shadow Lord spoke to Lief through the crystal on the night of the Full Moon Meeting. It tormented him and threatened to spread its sinister voice to the minds of his citizens as well. After the meeting, Lief had a battalion of guards carry the crystal to Adin's Forge, where Doom was busy stoking the fires, in a last ditch effort to destroy it. Before it could be tossed into the fire, the crystal become unbearably heavy for the guards, Lief, Barda, Jasmine, and Doom to lift. However, through the power of the Topaz, Lief called upon the spirits of the people of Del, who added their strength to his. With this, they succeeded in tipping the crystal onto the forge, where it cracked and burned. As it died, the crystal released a liquid that played back every conversation spoken through it, particularly King Endon's coronation, and the Shadow Lord's discussion with Drumm about the Four Sisters. Function and abilities The crystal served as a means of direct communication between the Shadow Lord and its spies in Deltora. It also allowed the Shadow Lord to access the mind of anyone close by, as shown with both Lief and Jasmine. It could also create a feeling of despair and sorrow to weaken those around it. The crystal could not be destroyed by conventional means, and could defend itself with minor sorcery when threatened. These abilities included creating a sense of dread in anyone near the crystal, and increasing its own weight to the point where seven grown men could not lift it. Trivia *In the anime, the crystal's appearance is drastically different from the book. It resembles a clawed hand made of stone grasping for the sky. Above it, the Shadow Lord's eyes appear when it speaks. References See also * Faith Category:Magic objects Category:Objects Category:Magic